Numerous machines are utilized in the food industry to transfer, form, and/or package a variety of food products. Specifically with regard to food product forming machines, factors such as production capacity, the consistency of the formed product (e.g., uniform weight), the appearance of the formed product (e.g., relating to the handling thereof, providing a desired end configuration), and waste reduction of raw food materials all have been given consideration in the development efforts relating to such machines. An example of one such machine is commonly referred to in the industry as a patty forming machine which produces, for instance, hamburger patties.
One general type of patty forming machine utilizes a rotatable turret which has a plurality of circumferentially-spaced cylinders for receiving the raw food material (e.g., hamburger) and an infeed manifold, positioned below the turret, for providing the raw food material to a given cylinder when rotated into alignment therewith. Moreover, a piston is reciprocally positioned within each cylinder and is advanced upwardly due to product pressure when the associated cylinder is rotated over the feed station. Consequently, the bottom surface of the piston and the walls of its associated cylinder define the configuration of the formed product. In the case of hamburger patties, the bottom surface of the piston is flat and perpendicular to the sidewalls of the circular cylinder such that the desired disc-shaped product is formed. When the cylinder having the disc-shaped product formed therein is rotated over a deposit area, such as a conveyor belt, the piston is advanced downwardly to eject the formed product from the cylinder. In order to assist in the complete separation of formed product from the face of the piston, the piston typically extends a certain distance below a bottom surface of the turret such that a separation assembly (e.g., a wire or the like) is advanced across the face of the piston to remove product therefrom. As can be appreciated, this type of a separation assembly is suitable in the case where the face of the piston is substantially planar, but would not be effective if the face of the piston has a three-dimensional contour. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,633,245 to Partos, issued Jan. 11, 1972, and 4,276,318 to Orlowski et al., issued Jun. 30, 1981, are generally representative of this type of patty forming machine
Another type of patty forming machine generally includes a horizontally reciprocating slide plate having a plurality of cavities extending therethrough. The slide plate is horizontally advanced through a feed station where raw food material is forced down into each cavity through an opening in a plate which covers the upper end of each cavity. This raw food material is forced against a plate which closes the other end of each cavity. Consequently, the configuration of the formed product is determined by the shape of the perimeter of each cavity, which is typically circular, and the configuration of the upper and lower plates, which are typically substantially planar and perpendicular to the sidewalls of the cavity. Once a formed product is contained within each cavity, the slide plate is further horizontally advanced such that a punch, one of which is aligned with each cavity, may be driven downwardly to eject the formed product from the cavities upon an appropriate deposit area. U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,961 to Richards, issued Jul. 4, 1978, is generally representative of this type of patty forming machine.
Another type of patty forming machine generally includes a rotatable wheel having a plurality of spaced cavities positioned on a peripheral surface thereof. A freely reciprocable piston is positioned within each cavity and has an outer surface for contacting product which generally follows the contour of the rotatable wheel. In this regard, a feed station provides a raw food material to each cavity when rotated into alignment therewith which forces the piston upwardly within the cavity. The configuration of the product is thus again defined by the perimeter of each cavity and the face of the piston therein. Notwithstanding the slight, convexly arcuate contour of each piston, the formed product remains substantially a disc-shaped, two dimensional product. As each cavity containing a formed product is rotated over an appropriate deposit area such as a conveyor belt, the piston is urged radially outward such that the formed product is ejected from the cavity. U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,355 to Hughes, issued Dec. 3, 1974, is generally representative of this type of patty forming machine.
Although the above-identified types of patty forming machines are suitable for forming two-dimensional products such as hamburger patties, in certain instances it is desirable for the product formed from a raw food material to assume the configuration of the food product in its "natural state." For instance, in the case where chicken portions are utilized as the raw food material, it may be desirable for such portions to be formed into the shape of, for instance, a chicken breast. Moreover, in the case where fish portions are utilized as the raw food material, it may be desirable for such portions to be formed into the shape of a fillet. U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,136 to Langlands, issued Apr. 17, 1973, generally discloses one type of a product forming machine which accommodates for the formation of at least one type of three-dimensional food product.
Langlands is directed to a process and apparatus for shaping a three-dimensional product in a single forming station. Generally, a rectangular block of frozen fish is positioned on a supporting surface and a die having a three-dimensional configuration is pressed downwardly over the frozen fish to conform such to the shape of the die. In order to assist in the removal of the formed frozen fish product from the die, a sheet of flexible material is positioned across the die cavity prior to engagement with the frozen fish. This flexible material extends between a supply and take-up roll. Consequently, when the die is forced down upon the frozen block of fish, apparently additional flexible material is taken from the supply roll such that the flexible material is able to conform to the contour of the die. In order to eject the product from the die, air may be directed against the flexible material to force it away from the die. Moreover, the flexible material may be moved relative to the die to also eject the formed product from the die. In the latter case, Langlands indicates that the air ejection system need not be utilized.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, there remains a need for a machine capable of producing a three-dimensional food product from a variety of types of raw food materials in a variety of conditions. Moreover, there remains a need for such a machine which includes a simplified means for ejecting the formed three-dimensional product onto a given deposit area. Furthermore, there remains a need for such a machine which has high production capabilities. Relatedly, there remains a need for such a machine which is able to accurately and consistently eject the formed three-dimensional product onto a predefined portion of a deposit area.